Campus Save Act of 2013 - Five Things You Should Know About It

Five Things You Should Know About Violence Against Women Act of 2013 and Campus Save Act of 2013

On November 25th of each year a little known date is recognized by only a few the world over. “The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.” This day instituted by the General Assembly of the United Nations was started in 1999 in hopes of raising public awareness of the countless women who have been attacked, assaulted, or coerced into actions against their will.

The prejudices that are launched against many women are deeply rooted practices that go back thousands of years and will take much more than a special day to change. Add to this the fact that this historical plague against women most often on college campuses and you’ll soon realize that violence against women on school campuses is an assault on our nation’s future.

Still, efforts to make such changes are being made and a modicum of success has been seen. One of those efforts has been with the passing of the Violence Against Women Act of 2013 and the Campus Save Act both of which have been designed to slow the tide of violence against women. While both of these documents are very encouraging steps forward in our fight against violence against women there are some things that everyone should know about them.

1. Student Training Programs

According to the 2013 Violence Against Women Act and the Campus Save Act all students will be required to attend a comprehensive “primary prevention and awareness” program where they will be clearly educated on what offenses like rape, acquaintance rape, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking entail and the school’s position on prohibiting these behaviors.

2. New Student Discipline Requirements

The VAWA Act of 2013 also must detail the proper procedures victims should follow to preserve evidence of an assault and where the assault should be reported. The compliance should also explain clearly the victim’s rights in these cases.

3. Standards of Investigation

Another requirement of the VAWA Act of 2013 must also address the proper standards of investigation and conduct of student discipline proceedings in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases.

4. New Reporting Requirements

The 2013 Violence Against Women Act also has new reporting requirements that every college campus must meet. In the past, reporting of these types of assaults was also very inconsistent. There was a lack of clarity of definition that that made those reporting campus statistics unsure. With clear definitions listed in the VAWA Act of 2013 reporting now is clear.

In addition to the annual reporting of crimes of “forcible and non-forcible sex offenses and aggravated assaults” campuses are also required to report cases of domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as well.

5. The New Law Is More Inclusive

The previous violence against women act of 1994 not all women were included. Native American women and LGBT survivor complaints were not always respected. With the passing of this new reauthorization of the law these critical gaps have now been closed. Today, all women who are victims of violence can get the protection that they need.

According to a December 2000 report entitled “The Sexual Victimization of College Women” published by the National Institute of Justice, a college with 10,000 students could experience as many as 350 rapes per year. That fact along with other acts of violence against women is the very reason why the new Violence Against Women Act of 2013 is so important to the future of our women and society as a whole.